Former National Park councilman: Sewer ordinance targets me

NATIONAL PARK — A former councilman is claiming that the current board has unfairly targeted him with an ordinance approved earlier this month placing all responsibility of maintaining residential sewer lines on the homeowner.

Shawn Donahue, who served a single term on the borough council until December 2011, earlier this year noticed a problem with his sewer main, which runs from the center of his street to the curb in front of his house, when roots began to affect the underground pipes.

He started the process of gaining the permits to fix the problem, but he began speaking with various former borough officials.

“I heard from former administrator Bob Dougherty and the former mayor Fran Witt, who told me that anything from the curb to the street is up to the municipality to fix,” said Donahue on Tuesday. “I heard the same thing from the retired National Park plumbing inspector and the former water and sewer superintendent — Joe Bilbo — but when I went to the new administrator, I was told that the homeowner is responsible.”

Soon after, on Feb. 13, the National Park council introduced an ordinance specifically stating that homeowners are responsible for the installation, maintenance and repair, from the home to the main located in the street.

The ordinance was approved by a 3-2 vote on March 13.

“When I asked why this was introduced, they told me it was because of my inquiry,” said Donahue. “Now, I’ve been kind of a bother to them in the past, bringing things up to their attention, but I’m surprised they actually said that in a meeting.

“I spoke to some lawyers, and they said I definitely have a case, but it would cost more than it would to just fix the pipe myself. I’m a pipe fitter and I could fix it easy, but it’s the principle of it.”

National Park Mayor Mark Cooper on Tuesday answered that it has never been the borough’s policy to fix residential sewer lines under the street.

According to Cooper, the ordinance is nothing more than an amendment to the previous sewer policy, clarifying what has long been policy.

“I know he spoke with a former mayor from 30 years ago, but I’ve been with the council for 20 years and I don’t remember the borough ever fixing a homeowner’s sewer line,” said Cooper. “There’s just too much liability with digging everything up and going in there.”

He later added, “We can’t go tearing into everyone’s sewer lines every time someone has a problem.”

When Donahue began inquiring about the municipality fixing the line, borough officials turned to their water and sewer superintendent, Donna Domico, whose services National Park shares with Westville.

“In six to eight weeks of research, we couldn’t find any example of the borough doing that, and we went around to other municipalities and couldn’t find any that fixed the lines under the streets for home owners,” added the mayor. “Supposedly [Donahue] says he found some people who had the borough do that work, but we couldn’t find anyone.

“Our own building inspector asked for the same thing when we were going over the ordinance, and we told him the same thing — no.”